If there was a competition for the most unusual ships in the world, then seismographic vessels of the Ramform Titan type (after the name of the first ship in the series) could take part in it, and, possibly, compete for prizes. A distinctive feature of the four built Ramform Titan ships is the shape of the hull, which most resembles an ordinary iron, this is especially noticeable when viewed from a height. The shape of the hulls of Ramform ships is really triangular, in the West they say delta-shaped, the history of aviation with a triangular and delta-shaped wing (from the Greek letter "delta") is repeated.
The emergence of seismic survey ships Ramform
All Ramform floating irons are owned by one company - PGS (Petroleum Geo-Services). The company, headquartered in the capital of Norway, is today recognized as one of the leading geophysical companies in the world with its own fleet - PGS Marine Worldwide, whose ships were specially designed for 2D / 3D / 4D marine surveys. The ships and specialists of the PGS company are ready to provide clients with a wide range of services in the field of technical development of mineral deposits and seismographic exploration, including generalization and calculations based on the materials of the entire volume of information received and the assessment of deposits. The company primarily specializes in offshore oil fields. Today the Norwegian company also works with Russian clients. There are two joint ventures operating in our country: PGS-Khazar (Gelendzhik) and a joint venture with DMNG (Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk). The companies work with complex projects located in the Black, Azov and Caspian Seas, as well as directly in the Russian Far East. In addition, one of the data centers of the Petroleum Geo-Services company is based in Moscow.
Four state-of-the-art seismic vessels have been built at the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Shipbuilding Co in Nagasaki for PGS in Japan. The first ship of the series was named Ramform Titan (launched in 2013). Later, three more ships of the series were launched: Ramform Atlas (2014), Ramform Tethys (2016) and Ramform Hyperion (2017). The launch of the seismic survey ship Ramform Hyperion has completed the construction program of four new generation vessels, each of which is powered by GeoStreamer technology, the implementation of which the Norwegian company began in 2007.
For the unusual shape of the ships, the Norwegian naval designer Roar Ramde was responsible. At the same time, the design of all Ramform ships was inspired by the Marjata reconnaissance ship, which was adopted by the Norwegian Navy in 1995. Russian naval sailors affectionately call the ship of this project "Mashka". It should be noted that not a single maneuver of the Northern Fleet of the Russian Navy is complete without the presence of this reconnaissance vessel. First of all, "Maryata" is intended for conducting hydroacoustic observation, it is with the solution of this problem that the unusual shape of the ship's hull is connected. Norwegian shipbuilders believe that the triangular shape of the vessel allows for the lowest possible noise of the mechanisms installed on board the ship, without interfering with the installed sonars. Another feature of the project is the excessive stability of the ship, which, as conceived by the designers, has a positive effect on the functioning of numerous acoustic sensors located on the ship's hull.
The reconnaissance ship of the Norwegian Navy also interested business representatives engaged in the exploration of oil fields on the shelf. The private Norwegian company Petroleum Geo-Services ordered the seismic exploration ship Ramform Explorer, which was added to the PGS fleet, the ship was launched in 1995, experts call the ship the direct successor of "Maryata". In terms of size and shape, the Explorer is close to the ship that was built for the Norwegian naval forces. The operating experience of the unusual triangular ship turned out to be very successful, and PGS ordered a whole family of such ships, which were replaced by even more advanced ships of the Ramform Titan series already in the 2010s.
Features of ships like Ramform Titan
For the mining industry today, marine seismographic exploration is an extremely important industry. Thanks to such exploration and specialized vessels, it is possible to discover new deposits of minerals, which in the 21st century remain the blood of the entire world economy, we are talking about oil and natural gas deposits that are located on the ocean floor. A distinctive feature of the Ramform ships is the triangular shape of the hull and a very wide stern. Thanks to this technical solution, the ships produce a minimum noise level during operation. As a result, the ongoing research allows you to better follow the movements of the layers of the earth's crust and get a clearer diagram and other useful information. The wide stern of the Petroleum Geo-Services seismic survey ships ensures a very high level of stability and safety of the floating platform on which almost all the geophysical equipment is located.
Thus, the delta-shaped form of the ships of the Ramform Titan series was chosen in order to best unleash the possibilities of the modern technology of GeoStreamer seismological exploration, which was developed by order of the Norwegian company PGS, the customer of the ships of this project. Today, the Ramform Titan series ships are recognized as the most efficient and largest marine seismic survey ships in the world. The cost of the first two ships "Titan" and "Atlas" was estimated by journalists at half a billion dollars. The width of the stern of the unusual ships exceeds 70 meters.
In simple terms, Ramform Titan ships are large tugs that pull a network of a large number of seismographic sensors that are able to cover a surface area of more than 12 square kilometers. To better estimate the scale of the seabed coverage, imagine that it is 1,500 football fields. The wide stern makes it easy to place 24 streamer drums on board - this is a specialized equipment that resembles special cables on which seismic sensors and other geophysical equipment are placed. Despite the simple description, the system is quite complex, since the streamers should not intersect and collide with each other, should not be entangled. For this reason, when Ramform ships move on the sea surface in operating mode, the ships have a large turning radius (up to several kilometers), which does not add maneuverability to the ships. The total mass of the equipment towed behind the ship is 220 tons. When the streamers are deployed, the ship's speed does not exceed 4.5 knots.
Technical characteristics of ships Ramform Titan
The ships of the Ramform Titan series stand out for their rather large dimensions. The total displacement of the vessels of this project is estimated at 8 thousand tons. The maximum length is 104 meters, the width is 70 meters. The ships are capable of speeds up to 16 knots. The ships received a combined power plant with an electric propulsion system (in total, 3 electric motors with a capacity of 6000 kW each, 6 diesel generators, as well as one thruster with a capacity of 2200 kW). The total capacity of the equipment installed on board the ship, announced on the PGS website, is estimated at 26,000 kW.
The ship has 10 double cabins for seconded specialists and visitors and 60 single cabins for the crew and company employees, the maximum capacity, taking into account the accommodation of seconded employees and guests, is 80 people. 10 double cabins have separate bathrooms. Also on the ship there was a place for three small cinemas, a swimming pool, a sauna, a gym and a basketball court, and there is also a lounge for the team's rest.
The maximum autonomy of the ship's navigation is 120 days. Interdock sailing time is estimated at 7.5 years. After that, the ship must be sent to dry dock for servicing. As noted in the Norwegian company Petroleum Geo-Services, the increase in autonomous sailing time and the rapid deployment of the necessary equipment mean for the company's clients a quick completion of seismic works and the possibility of continuous operation of the ship, which can be used in any weather in both the southern and northern hemispheres. The very wide delta-shaped hull provides the ship with excellent seakeeping and stability.
According to the company, in the new series of Ramform ships, the period between ship calls for scheduled repairs in dry dock has increased by 50 percent. According to John Erik Reinhardsen, CEO and President of the Norwegian company Petroleum Geo-Services, four new seismic vessels of the Ramform Titan series set a new standard for ships of this class and will not lose their relevance over the next 25 years.
